DAVIS, Calif. - After a brief respite, UC Davis will return to The Pavilion for its first game in more than two weeks when the Sacramento State Hornets visit campus for its annual #CausewayCup meeting. A victory will bring UC Davis 10 points closer to defending its Causeway title-the Aggies enter Tuesday's game with a 37.50-2.50 lead in the annual battle involving the schools' 17 common teams-placing UC Davis just 2.50 points away from earning a share of this year's Cup and three points shy from keeping the trophy in Davis for another year.

HELP YOURSELF AND OTHERS AT THE SAME TIMEUC Davis men's basketball's annual canned food drive will also take place on the night of this cross-Causeway matchup. Anyone who donates a non-perishable item, or a can of food, will have the opportunity to purchase a general admission seat for $5 -- a ticket that is good for both the men's game, and the preceding 4:45 p.m. women's basketball contest between UC Davis and San Jose State. All proceeds will benefit the Yolo Food Bank.

A CLOSER LOOK AT SACRAMENTO STATEUC Davis is not the only thing that Sacramento State will battle Tuesday night, as the Hornets will try to knock off the rust that accumulated throughout its seven-day break. In their previous appearance, the Hornets lost to No. 22 UCLA, 86-50, to fall to 1-2 on the year. If Sacramento State suffers a loss at the hands of the Aggies, the team will have dropped its last three straight games as CSU Bakersfield downed the Hornets by a score of 74-66 earlier this month.

Those back-to-back losses took place after Sacramento State opened its year with a 73-43 home victory vs. UC Santa Cruz.

Junior guard Dylan Garrity, one of two Sacramento State players to average 10 or more points per game this year, leads his team in scoring at 17.0 ppg. Backcourt teammate Mikh McKinney, the Hornet's other double-digit scorer, trails his teammate with his 10.7 ppg mark. Combined the pair is responsible for 44 percent of their team's points and will most likely lead the way for Sacramento State on offense in Tuesday's matchup.

Head coach Brian Katz will make his third trip to Davis since taking over the men's basketball program six years ago; his squad earned victories on both of his previous visits to The Pavilion.

RICHART'S REIGN IN PORTLAND LEADS TO WEEKLY AWARDThe Big West Conference recognized UC Davis senior Josh Ritchart Monday afternoon as its Men's Basketball Player of the Week for helping the Aggies earn two victories at the Portland State Tournament.

The 6-foot-9 forward was virtually unstoppable when UC Davis faced SIUE in its tournament-opener last Friday, a game that saw Ritchart score a career-high 35 points on 12 of 14 shots, en route to an 80-75 victory. The native of Auburn, Calif., also collected 13 rebounds to post his team's first double-double of the year.

By ending his weekend against tournament host Portland State with 17 points and seven rebounds, Ritchart averaged 20.3 points and 9.7 rebounds for the week. Collectively, he shot 67.6 pct. (23 of 34) from the field and 44.4 pct. (4 of 9) from three.

WELCOME TO THE 1K CLUBWith 995 career points to his credit, senior guard Ryan Sypkens needs to score five points against Sacramento State to become the 19th Aggie in the program's history to reach the 1,000-point milestone. If successful, Sypkens will become the first player to add his name to this exclusive list since Mark Payne accomplished the feat on Nov. 14, 2010.

TWO SCHOOLS, 20 MILES, ONE RIVALRYUC Davis and Sacramento State will meet for the 112th time when the teams take the court at The Pavilion Tuesday evening. With only 20 miles separating the schools from one another, the Aggies will have an opportunity to even their record against the Hornets since renewing the rivalry during the 2004-05 season. Prior to the series' resurrection, six years passed between duels in a series that originally started in 1948.

Since the birth of the Causeway Cup in 2004, Sacramento State holds a 5-4 advantage over the Aggies in the nine head-to-head meetings involving both men's basketball teams. However, throughout that same timespan, UC Davis has captured the Cup, and the bragging rights attached to the trophy, on five occasions.

Outside of Sacramento State, UC Davis men's basketball has competed against only three teams on a more frequent basis-a list that includes former Div. II, California Collegiate Athletic Association members Chico State (178 games), San Francisco State (148 games) and Humboldt State (122 games).